What makes successful people?

People who focus on building social relationships, have close friends and often help others will have a successful life.

Around the 1940s, Harvard University (USA) conducted a study based on collecting data on the lives of more than 700 men . They have different habitats and maturation processes. The first group consisted of 268 students from Harvard University. The second group was 456 people born and raised in the slums of east Boston.

These people will provide information about their work, family life and overall health through blood samples, brain scans... for more than 70 years.

Robert Waldinger, director of the 76-year-old "Research on Adult Development" project and still working on it. Photo : Pinterest.

More than 700 of these people mostly experienced World War 2, economic recession in the US. There are people who succeed and become famous in the political or economic field, such as President John F. Kennedy. There are also people who fail more and more, regardless of their starting point.

Based on results from successful people, the researchers draw a conclusion: Personal relationships play a very important role. "The clearest message we've gotten from the research is that good relationships are key to making us happier, more successful and healthier," said Robert Waldinger, project director.

1. Successful people often have a greater need to establish social relationships.

Participants in the study who achieved success in life all have in common that they build very good social relationships. Although they have a bad starting point, over time their quality of life improves.

Some people think, living only according to their own liking, without caring about other people's thoughts, is happiness. That was a mistake. "The more people break relationships around, the more difficult it is to manage, from work to life," said Robert Waldinger.

2. Value the quality of relationships over quantity

"It doesn't matter how many people you know, it's important to build close relationships," said the Harvard research project manager.

He pointed out that, among the study participants, those who are successful in their careers, have warm families, have close relationships... are generally happier. The reason comes from the positive energy they radiate as well as the way they handle relationships. Either way, this group of people do not choose the extreme solution to solve the problem but seek a harmonious method to balance all aspects.

3. Have a broader vision and awareness to understand the value of kindness

People who regularly help others easily build many better relationships. Like the saying "Give someone a rose, and your hands will smell good."

Usually, after helping others, they can all receive a corresponding "reward". This group of people, after growing up, most choose a career as a doctor, lawyer or politician.

To date, nearly 60 of the more than 700 men involved in the study are still alive. In addition to continuing to be the subjects of the study, more than 2,000 of their descendants also participated in the process.

According to Robert Waldinger, scientific research confirms one thing: "The good life is based on the relationship good. Search is a degree of balance in relationships is the key critical to achieve."